Paul Smith is the Head of Frameworx at NHMF Frameworx, the not-for-profit procurement partner set up in association with the NHMF in 2022. With a
Paul Smith specialist Damp and Mould framework and a dedication to“ doing the right thing” Paul has been exploring the impact of Awaab’ s Law this year and discussing at length with Housing Executive, how key stakeholders are dealing with the challenge. Paul comments:“ The requirements of Awaab’ s Law are stringent, and they’ re about to become more extensive, with Stage 2 round the corner and Stage 3 on the horizon as we work towards covering all 29 hazards of the HHSRS.
I have had the pleasure of exploring and reporting on the real impact of the legislation with clients specialist contractors and even residents. In this article, we’ re looking towards main contractors and Neil Watts has a rare vantage point on Awaab’ s Law.”
Neil Watts worked at Peabody during Phase One, giving him first-hand experience of the legislation from the client side. Now a Managing Director at Axis CLC he is experiencing
Neil Watts the contractor perspective as Phase Two comes into force. And finally, he is Chair of the National Housing Maintenance Forum, a sector body that promotes best practice in social housing. Neil comments:“ At Axis, we are not just focusing on IT and process, we all are prioritising Culture and competencies. Firstly, were sharing best practices from across our client base, who all have variable solutions. Secondly, we are putting in place what we’ re calling the Elevate Five programme- five skilled bandings running from apprentice through to repairs excellence. As people progress through the tiers, they are incentivised to build their skill set, enabling us to better deal with the demands in the evolving repairs sector.. To help us with the future foundations, we are targeting a minimum of 5 % of my establishment to be apprentice opportunities. That’ s the kind of investment in people I’ d like to see more of across the sector.
“ And with my other hat as chair of the NHMF, I want it to be exactly what it should be: a best practice, knowledge-sharing organisation. I want people to feel excited to learn and, share, ultimately help improve our sector, and I do think our sector is improving.” diagnostics and preventative activity, so that repair data feeds directly into planned works. If you are consistently getting leaks to a roof that a stock condition survey says has five or ten years of life left, and it is costing more on a reactive basis than a planned one, that work should be brought forward and prioritised. The future has to be more collaborative, more data-led and more resident-focused.”
Paul Smith:“ I think the best repairs contracts in the future will be the ones where the contractor isn’ t treated simply as a recipient of work orders, but as extension of the landlord’ s services; identifying risk, understanding the resident, diagnosing properly, sharing information, taking ownership and preventing the problem from coming back.”
Paul Smith: Do you think Phase Two fundamentally changes responsive repairs, or is it less of a seismic shift than it appears on paper?
Neil Watts:“ There is a fundamental change: responsive repairs teams will increasingly become risk management teams, understanding vulnerabilities and compliance alongside trade skills. It’ s a significant, measured shift. Phase Two follows Phase One’ s process with more HHSRS categories, needing client and contractor combined in one business layer to support it properly.”
Paul Smith: Taking off your client and contractor hats and putting on your NHMF hat, what is your hope for what the NHMF can do to support the sector with Awaab’ s Law?
Neil Watts:“ There is a growing recognition that technology, data and collaboration matter just as much as operational delivery. We are seeing more investment in predictive maintenance and property intelligence, and as chair, NHMF does have a focus on this, ensuring we share best practice. That is why we have created working groups on building safety, technology, procurement and more, each led by industry professionals. The NHMF Service Provider Forum brings consultants, contractors, material suppliers and Tier One and Tier Two contractors together with clients, because organisations that collaborate are generally the ones making the greatest progress.”
Paul Smith: Putting all three hats back on, what should feel different to a resident five years from now?
Neil Watts:“ Residents should feel genuinely listened to and heard. They should not have to chase updates or repeat the same issue because it has crossed an organisational boundary. They should experience proactive communication, whichever way they choose to raise a concern, and quicker resolutions that provides them greater confidence that concerns affecting their home and health, are taken seriously from day one.
“ I would also like to see us collaborate more with residents, so they feel empowered to feel part of the solution. If we can change that culture around how we all look at a home, a repair and a resident, I think it will encourage people to work with their landlord and supply chain rather than feel something is being done to them.”
Paul Smith:“ What I would like to see is that in five years residents would not need to understand Awaab’ s Law at all, because they would simply be able to report something unsafe in their home and know that somebody will listen, take ownership and fix it properly.
“ Residents shouldn’ t need to know whether it is a legal requirement or not. It is purely an activity required in the property, and when they pick up the phone or raises a repair on an app, they should feel confident it will happen within a reasonable timeframe, and in an effective way.”
Neil Watts’ s central message is consistent across his three roles: data, triaging and diagnostics at the front end save cost and distress at the back end, and the shift from a transactional client-contractor relationship to a genuinely collaborative one is no longer optional. As Phase Two approaches, the sector’ s ability to treat repairs as risk management, not just job completion, will be what determines whether residents feel the difference Awaab’ s Law was designed to make.
NHMF Frameworx connects housing providers with trusted, compliant supply chain partners and supports early engagement around capacity, specification, value for money and resident outcomes. Its not-for-profit ethos means surpluses are reinvested into social value, training and the wider sector.
Find out more: www. nhmfframeworx. org. uk /